Gratitude is one of the most powerful practices I adopted during my 20s. Taking just one moment to focus on what you already have in your life can have an immediate impact on your mood.
The benefits of gratitude
Practicing gratitude doesn’t just make you feel better in the moment, but over time rewires your neural pathways and trains you to look for the good in life. Our neurons are constantly making new connections over our lifetime – our mindset isn’t fixed – and the more you run a neural circuit in your brain, the stronger that circuit becomes.
How do you practice gratitude?
It can be gratitude for the big things or for the little things: a comfy pillow, the people in your life, your morning coffee, your health, the way you dealt with a certain situation, the leaves outside your window, the simple fact you’re alive and have a new day ahead of you – anything that you really appreciate when you think about it. Write it down or simply go over it in your head. When it’s harder to see the positives around you, you could choose your own qualities to be grateful for. For example, “I am grateful for my kindness” or “I am grateful for my strength in dealing with X”. This isn’t just a gratitude practice, but also builds your self-love. One thing I always try to bear in mind is that our current situation is someone else’s dream. The things we might complain about, someone else dreams of having. Appreciate what you’ve got while you have it.
Taking a moment to do this every day can completely alter your mindset. Seeing the good becomes a habit and when you start to look for the positives, you’ll find that you notice more and more good things around you. It sets you up to attract more good into your life.
So, start today: who are you grateful for? What are you grateful for?
Laura Rachel Coaching 